N.Y. MTA rolls out new buses with Wi-Fi, USB ports in Queens, the Bronx

New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced the first of 83 new buses equipped with Wi-Fi service and USB ports have arrived in the Bronx. The Governor also unveiled a new design for the MTA’s Select Bus Service buses, which will also be equipped with Wi-Fi connectivity and USB ports. The first of a total of 43 new SBS buses have arrived in Queens and Bronx.

The new arrivals are part of the Cuomo’s initiative to revitalize the MTA’s bus operations, with over 2,042 state-of-the-art new buses joining its transportation fleet over the course of five years. The new buses will replace nearly 40% of the MTA’s current fleet and represent a $1.3 billion investment of Capital Program resources. The first 75 buses included in the plan went into service in Queens during 2016.

“From opening the Second Avenue Subway, to bringing Wi-Fi and cell service to underground subway stations, we are reimagining the mass-transit experience for the metropolitan area,” Gov. Cuomo said. “These new state-of-the-art buses will better connect passengers who are on-the-go, create a stronger mass-transit system to bring New York into the future.”

The MTA is in the process of upgrading existing buses with Wi-Fi and USB charging ports. By the end of 2017, all express buses will be retrofitted with Wi-Fi and USB charging ports.

After the initial delivery of four buses, the Bronx units will arrive at a rate of approximately three to five buses per week. All 83 buses will be in service by Dec. 25, 2017.

After the initial delivery of 4 “new look” SBS articulated buses in Queens, buses will arrive at a rate of three to four per week, with 22 SBS Articulated Buses arriving by April. An additional 21 will begin arriving in July at a rate of three per week completing delivery in August for a total of 43 buses. The buses will be based out of Casey Stengel Depot, and run on the Q44, which operates in Queens and the Bronx.

Select Bus Service is the brand name in New York for bus rapid transit, a concept that speeds service through implementation of features that allow bus service to mimic train service. Customers appreciate the convenient off-board fare technology that allows them to pre-pay their fare and enter and exit through any bus door, eliminating the need for customers to wait to pay at a single fare box and reducing the amount of time the bus spends at each stop.